Help a rookie please

Technical Pneumatics
1

Hey, i’ve never used pneumatics and now i have some problems with it, beeing my first time.
What i need:
Have a cylinder that can move my gripper to 3 different positions.
Poisiton A: Grab the Ball
Position B: lift the ball up to the arm (so we can get in the 80’’ length limit while lifting the ball.
Positiion C: Gripper touches the arm, only needed in start of the match in order to get in the initial sizes of the game.

Is there any way i can easily do this?
Please remember you are speaking to a pneumatic noob, so i will probably need both an explanation on how to mechanicly do it and how to program it.

i’ve read some threads that say that i should connect 2 selenoids together, but i did not really understand how i am going to control it.

PS, the cylinder there will basicly need to make te following move:
start of match from poisition C to A, and the rest of the match just switch between positions A and B, mechanicly the order of the positions is C-B-A.
Thanks =]

2

Easiest way: 2 cylinders, end-to-end.

Second easiest way: 2 solenoids. One is connected to the other’s exhaust port. This will be a “soft” middle position.

I’ll let someone else explain how to program it. Partly because I’m not exactly sure how.

3

See THIS Thread. There is no need for two solenoid valves, ever, to make a piston stop mid-stroke. This is done all the time in industry, and of course there is a simple solution.

Just keep in mind that air is compressible. That means, if the load on your piston changes, it will move from that mid-point position.

Don